U.S. & Israel Launch 'Major Combat Operations' in Iran
The U.S. and Israel have launched coordinated airstrikes on Iran, codenamed “Epic Fury,” with explosions reported in Tehran. President Trump confirmed “major combat operations” are underway, openly calling for the Iranian people to “take over their government.” The strikes mark a dramatic escalation, with U.S. intelligence sources reportedly disputing Trump's public claims about the immediacy of Iran's missile threat.
The current conflict is rooted in decades of animosity, tracing back to the 1979 Iranian Revolution. While the two nations once had informal ties, the new leadership in Tehran adopted a hostile stance toward Israel. This hostility has since manifested in a long-running proxy war, with Iran supporting militant groups like Hezbollah and Hamas that frequently clash with Israel. A central point of contention is Iran's nuclear program, which began with U.S. assistance in the 1950s under the "Atoms for Peace" initiative. After the revolution, and particularly after the Iran-Iraq War, Iran accelerated these ambitions. Key facilities include the uranium enrichment sites at Natanz and Fordow, the latter built underground to protect it from airstrikes. Israel views a nuclear-armed Iran as an existential threat. The strike is also a culmination of President Trump's long-standing policy of "maximum pressure" against Iran. During his first term, he withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, and reimposed heavy economic sanctions. His administration's stated goals were to halt Iran's path to a nuclear weapon, curb its ballistic missile program, and counter its support for regional proxies. Iran's military capabilities are largely centered on its ballistic missile arsenal, the most diverse in the Middle East. This includes the Shahab and Ghadr series, as well as the solid-fueled Sejjil and hypersonic Fattah missiles, with ranges capable of reaching Israel and parts of Europe. These missiles are seen by Tehran as a crucial deterrent against its technologically superior adversaries. The strikes target not just nuclear sites but also the influence of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). An entity separate from Iran's regular army, the IRGC answers directly to the Supreme Leader and controls the nation's missile program. Its elite Quds Force is responsible for foreign operations, including training and funding proxy forces across the Middle East, and has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States.
